1. Field of the Description
The present description relates, in general, to techniques for remotely controlling movements and operations of vehicles such as ground-based vehicles (e.g., a two-to-four or more wheeled vehicle) and aerial vehicles (e.g., a multi-copter, a drone, or the like), and, more particularly, to methods and systems adapted for providing shared control (i.e., both remote and local operator control) over a semi-autonomous vehicle.
2. Relevant Background
There are many settings where it is desirable to provide shared control over the operations of a robot such as a terrestrial vehicle or an aerial vehicle. For example, an amusement park may provide a ride in which a passenger vehicle is driven along a race track or through an obstacle course, and it may be desirable to allow the passenger to “drive” the vehicle by providing user input indicating a direction they wish to travel and a velocity or speed they want their vehicle to move in the selected direction.
However, the vehicle control is preferably shared to provide collision avoidance with static obstacles and also with other vehicles (which may be driven by other ride participants). In other cases, a human operator may remotely control a flying drone such as a multi-copter in a particular air space, but the control is shared with a central controller to avoid collisions or achieve other goals.
Human-robot shared control has been applied in a variety of settings, but there remains a need for improved shared-control methods that enhance human control such as by providing the human operator more local control or operational freedom while still safely avoiding collisions. For example, shared control has been applied in the field of tele-robot operation for tasks including space exploration and surgery. In the case of mobile robots, methods have been developed for human interaction with a forklift, and shared control has been used with a formation of aerial vehicles via a haptic device. Work has also progressed for human-robot shared control with semi-autonomous vehicles such as wheelchairs or similar vehicles and with self-driving cars and other urban transporters.